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Monday, April 11, 2011

Yo-Yo Many

Years ago on a vacation in St. George, UT, I came upon the most delightful tablecloth made entirely out of charming little circles of fabric. I had never seen anything like it before. I thought to myself, "I can do that." Of course I could. A few years later, I came across a handy dandy too in a quilting magazine. It was called a Yo-yo maker. I instantly recognized it as the means to create that tablecloth of so many years before. I purchased several sizes and shapes and put that project on the back burner.

THEN...

Last summer the L. L. Bean Catalog arrived.

After only a few page turns this sight met my eyes!

*SWOON*

Actually, the colors were circa 1970's red, brown, and orange. This one is much prettier.

I loved the look of this yo-yo coverlet, and my husband wanted a lighter summer weight cover for our bed. I was not a fan of the color palette or the $479.00 price tag. I had the CRAZY thought right then and there that I would make my own. I would be done by Christmas. The process isn't difficult. (I must admit here that I LOVE to sew by hand.) It is merely time consuming. I mean REALLY time consuming.

I did some measuring and some calculating and determined that to make a king-sized coverlet and two covered pillow shams I would need 2,808 large sized yo-yos. The dimensions of the coverlet are 9' x 8'. Broken down into 12" x 12" squares the coverlet has 72 squares and each pillow sham has three each. Each individual square has 36 yo-yos.

In the above picture, the rows of yo-yos are offset so that there are no spaces between each circle. (When the whole project is sewn together the circles look more like hexagons.) You can also create a looser design by making even rows and connecting the yo-yos only at the compass points. In this design, space remains between each circle making the project as a whole more delicate. The yo-yos on this coverlet are secured to a solid piece of fabric under the circular design. This makes the project more stable and sturdy.

If you enjoyed this post, here are a few other pages you might enjoy from my blog:
How to make Toddler Statement Rings can be found HERE. Ruffle-bum Onesies make a great baby shower gift! Click HERE to see how easy they are to make. If needlepoint is more your style, HERE is a great project for Thanksgiving.

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